A first-of-its-kind study by the University of Iowa on hundreds of children with mild-to-severe hearing loss finds those kids don’t learn to speak or communicate as well as others who have good hearing. Beth Walker, a U-I professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, says children who were fitted with hearing aids at a very young age develop language skills much more quickly…..
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The study involved children from 17 states, ranging in age from six months to seven years. It’s the first time such a study has been undertaken since universal newborn hearing screening wasn’t available to most children at birth until about a decade ago. Those screenings, Walker says, are vital….
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Walker says about one-third of the study’s hearing-impaired children were not well-fitted with hearing aids. The study is being published in the journal, Ear and Hearing, the major journal published by the American Auditory Society.